2024 MLB Draft Review: Kansas City Royals

Full list of draftees

The Royals got things rolling with a bang, bringing in arguably the most exciting amateur player in the country in Jac Caglianone with their first pick. From there, it was overwhelmingly a pitching-heavy class, grabbing fourteen pitchers with their next sixteen picks. While Caglianone can hit triple digits with his fastball, many of the Royals pitching picks showed polish and deep arsenals with the ability to move quickly towards Kansas City. The class was also pretty straightforward in terms of the bonus pool, with no player coming in more than $200,000 above or $150,000 below slot value.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-6: 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone, Florida {hitting, pitching}
Slot value: $7.21 million. Signing bonus: $7.5 million ($286,200 above slot value).
My rank: #4. MLB Pipeline: #3. Baseball America: #5.
If you've watched any college baseball at all, you know Jac Caglianone. If you don't, then you should know that "Cagliohtani" is one of the most fascinating prospects and quite possibly the greatest baseball talent in this draft. A gangly teenager at H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, alma mater of Wade Boggs, Kyle Tucker, Pete Alonso, and many others, he garnered considerable interest for the 2021 draft but followed Alonso's path to Florida, where he exploded as one of the top prospects in the game. After blasting 33 home runs in 71 games as a sophomore and slugging .738 in the process, he took another step forward and slashed a ridiculous .419/.544/.875 with 35 home runs in 66 games as a junior. The power is, frankly, silly. Caglianone has completely filled out his extra long frame and now clocks in at a hefty 6'6", 250 pounds, using those long arms and powerful torso to rip the bat through the zone with frightening force. He can effortlessly flick the ball out to any field, and even his mishits will carry over the fence, then when he really turns on one, he can flat out obliterate a baseball. This is gargantuan, 80 grade power, and you don't hit 68 home runs in 137 games over two seasons by accident. Heading into 2024, the primary wart in Caglianone's profile was his aggressive approach at the plate, leading to a suboptimal 18.2% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate a year ago. He remained ultra, ultra aggressive in 2024, chasing nearly 40% of the time, but he cleaned up the pure swing and miss in a big way and dropped his strikeout rate by more than half, all the way down to 8.2%. He actually has plus bat to ball skills, which combined with the wildly aggressive approach, still lead to an above average hit tool. Because he rarely misses in the zone, pitchers didn't give him much to hit and he still walked 18.4% of the time despite swinging at virtually everything. He recognizes spin and won't be fooled by professional offspeed stuff, though if you get him right you can blow a fastball by him up in the zone due to his long levers and therefore longer swing. There is 40 homer upside here, though it remains to be seen whether his approach gets him in trouble in pro ball in a way that it never did in the SEC. Defensively, he'll be limited to first base with the below average speed that naturally comes with weighing 250 pounds. That said, the Royals announced Caglianone as a two-way player and his arm talent alone could have landed him in the first round as well. He didn't pitch as a freshman, but he struck out 170 and made 34 starts over the last two seasons for the Gators and could easily become a major league starter if he focused on that aspect of his game. He throws a running mid 90's fastball that has hit triple digits (here's 99) with plenty of armside run, though the pitch lacks bat missing ride and relies on velocity to do so. The velocity has been inconsistent, which you might expect from a two-way guy, though he can work it into a cutter to get a different look. He throws a tight slider in the mid 80's that can approach 90 at his best, though it stands out more for its velocity than its movement, and he actually adds a pretty solid changeup that was a consistent, above average weapon for him in 2024. Caglianone comes from a big, crossfire delivery and doesn't always keep his long arms and legs in sync, leading to below average command, high walk rates, and inconsistent performance on the mound. There is no doubt in my mind that should he focus solely on pitching, he could tick up that command and get more consistent with his offspeed stuff, giving him the upside of a #2 or #3 starter. Given the lightning in his bat, though, that seems unlikely and his most likely path to stardom will be as a power hitting first baseman. Unsurprisingly, he didn't pitch in his pro debut after tossing 73.2 innings for Florida, but he did hit .241/.302/.388 with two home runs and a 26/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 29 games at High A Quad Cities.

2-41; LHP David Shields, Mount Lebanon HS [PA] {video}
Slot value: $2.28 million. Signing bonus: $2.3 million ($22,000 above slot value).
My rank: #61. MLB Pipeline: #41. Baseball America: #60.
Few teams love prep pitching like the Royals do, and David Shields was the big fish for them in this draft cycle and will head west to Kansas City rather than south to follow his Miami commitment. While explosive fastballs and wipeout breaking balls are all the rage right now, Shields represents more of a traditional high school pitching prospect. His fastball sits around 90 and only tops out at 94, though it does play up with running and riding action. His best pitch is a deep slider that shows very nice finish and looks above average, while his solid changeup gives him a third big league pitch. For now, everything plays up because Shields commands the ball well and can execute on both his fastball and his offspeed stuff, overwhelming high school hitters and likely easing the transition to pro ball. The 6'2" lefty has a simple, repeatable delivery and brings quarterback athleticism to the mound, making for a very well-rounded profile. The next step will be adding power across his arsenal, which with the projection remaining on his athletic frame and his extreme youth (he did not turn 18 until more than a month after the draft), seems highly likely. If Shields can get to something like the 92-94 range on his fastball and bump his slider into the mid 80's, he has #2 or #3 starter upside. If not, he'll settle in as more of a back-end innings eater type.

3-76: RHP Drew Beam, Tennessee {video}
Slot value: $1.03 million. Signing bonus: $1.1 million ($69,800 above slot value).
My rank: #54. MLB Pipeline: #64. Baseball America: #41.
Drew Beam brings a very interesting combination of stuff and polish, and he's a really nice get that I did not think would be available on day two of the draft. He has been a force to be reckoned with in the Tennessee rotation for three years now, making 51 starts and tossing 262.2 innings for the Vols while facing over a thousand hitters. The ERA did go up each year, and he wasn't always at his best in 2024, but he'll take the ball every turn in the rotation and give you length. And when he's on, he looks like a surefire big league starter. Beam sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball but can reach back for 98 at peak, though as more of a running fastball than a riding one from a high release point it plays down a bit from that velocity. He can sink it or cut it as needed, though those variations are mostly average and he relies mostly on commanding the ball. He can work the cutter into more of a true slider to pick up a little extra sweep, though his primary breaking ball is a deep two-plane curveball that does a great job of freezing hitters and stealing strikes. Beam rounds things out with a changeup that could be above average with a little refinement, giving him a deep arsenal with which to attack hitters. The 6'4" righty is extremely durable and throws with a clean, repeatable delivery that helps him pound the strike zone with plus control, though his command is more average and he can get hit over the plate. You could argue that Beam's delivery lacks some deception, which in combination with the average stuff led to an unremarkable 22.7% strikeout rate this year. He stands out as a potential #4 starter who can eat innings, work his way through lineups, and keep hitters off balance while attacking the zone and running his fastball consistently into the mid 90's, while scouts also praise his makeup, baseball IQ, and mound presence. This is an old school bulldog starting pitcher.

4-105: RHP LP Langevin, Louisiana {video}
Slot value: $696,300. Signing bonus: $597,500 ($98,800 below slot value).
My rank: #148. MLB Pipeline: #230. Baseball America: #155.
If Drew Beam is an old school pitching prospect, then LP Langevin is new school to the max. A Quebec City native, he spent two years at Wabash Valley JC in southern Illinois before transferring to Louisiana this year, where he pitched mostly in long relief and at times looked downright dominant. During a ten appearance stretch from March 19th to April 26th, he allowed just two earned runs over 24.2 innings (0.73 ERA) while allowing just six hits and five walks (0.45 WHIP) and striking out 51 of the 88 batters he faced (58%!). Langevin finds his success on the back of an elite fastball, one which sits in the low to mid 90's in relief with peaks around 96 but which plays up with wicked running and riding action from a low release point. The pitch was so deceptive that it ran some of the best whiff rates in the country, completely overwhelming Sun Belt hitters and later MLB Draft League hitters this summer. Right now, the fastball is the show, as his slider and changeup are more change of pace options than anything else. The slider gets short, tight bite and the changeup shows some fade, but neither are true strikeout pitches and he leans heavily on the fastball. Langevin also commands his fastball much better than his offspeeds, and with some effort in his delivery he likely profiles as a reliever long term. If the Royals can do something with his secondary pitches, he could become an impact relief arm and chew through big league hitters, but just the fastball alone should get him to the majors in some capacity. He was very young for the class, only turning 21 shortly before the draft.

5-138: RHP AJ Causey, Tennessee {video}
Slot value: $505,000. Signing bonus: $477,500 ($27,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #242. Baseball America: #435.
Not only will Drew Beam and AJ Causey travel from Knoxville to Kansas City together, they actually grew up playing travel ball together. Causey spent his first two college seasons at Jacksonville State, then transferred to Tennessee and worked in a variety of roles for the Vols, tying for the NCAA Division I lead with thirteen wins. He's a sidearmer that sits around 90 with his fastball, touching 93 with a ton of running action. He works his breaking ball between a curveball and a slider, with both showing big, deep sweep across the plate despite a lack of power. He turns over an excellent changeup as well, giving him the ability to get both lefties and righties out unlike many sidearmers. Command is another selling point, as Causey works back and forth across the plate extremely well and walked just 5.9% of the batters he faced across three years in college. That gives him a much, much better chance to start than the typical sidearmer, as does his durability and his ability to repeat his funky delivery. The delivery is funky beyond just the slot, as the 6'3" righty actually comes across his body and strides towards first base, not the plate, creating separation between his upper and lower halves to whip the ball to the plate. If Causey could add a little power across his arsenal, he could be a weapon at the big league level, but even as is he has a shot to work his way up as a back-end starter or long reliever. This is a nice sleeper for the Royals.

6-167: RHP Tanner Jones, Texas A&M {video}
Slot value: $382,100. Signing bonus: $379,600 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #484.
Like AJ Causey, Tanner Jones started off with two years at Jacksonville State, then transferred to the SEC. Jones didn't have the same success at Texas A&M that Causey found at Tennessee, but he'll join his former teammate in Kansas City nonetheless. Jones is a very different pitcher, sitting in the low to mid 90's and touching 97 with his fastball, which plays up further because he gets great extension down the mound to create a low release point. He has a hard cutter in the upper 80's that looks like a potential above average pitch and plays nicely off his fastball, though when he loosens it into a more traditional sweeper it doesn't miss many bats. Jones rounds things out with a changeup, which projects as average. The 6'2" righty is a solid strike thrower that doesn't hurt himself with walks, and that combined with his deep arsenal and sturdy frame gives him a chance to start. At this point, he needs to find a way to miss more bats with his secondary stuff if he wants to remain in that role, and probably does look more like a reliever long term. Jones' arm strength and extension are the draws here and the Royals will look to bring that secondary stuff along.

10-287: LHP Nate Ackenhausen, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: $186,200. Signing bonus: $47,500 ($138,700 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Nate Ackenhausen brings a semi-local arm to Kansas City. He grew up in Owasso, Oklahoma, a northeastern suburb of Tulsa, where he attended Owasso High School before moving on to Eastern Oklahoma State JC in Wilburton. After two downright dominant seasons with the Mountaineers, he transferred to LSU and was a valuable swingman for two years in Baton Rouge. Ackenhausen works with a low 90's fastball that gets up to around 94-95, then adds a full arsenal of secondaries including a slider, curveball, and changeup. Nothing stands out as plus, and he also doesn't have pinpoint command with walk rates north of 10% both years in Baton Rouge. Instead, the crafty lefty relies on changing speeds and executing all four pitches, working to stay ahead in counts and forcing hitters to come up empty on their swings more than they might expect. He's a big, burley lefty at a listed 6'2", 255 pounds, looking plenty durable to handle the rigors of pro ball. Given the lack of a standout pitch in his arsenal as well as his advanced age (he turned 23 a couple months after the draft), Ackenhausen fits better in long relief than in a starting role, but he could move very quickly as a polished college arm with plenty of big game experience.

14-407: RHP Kyle DeGroat, Wallkill HS [NY] {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $347,500 ($197,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #239. Baseball America: unranked.
With a little extra money to throw around, the Royals picked up another interesting young prep arm from New York's Hudson Valley region in the fourteenth round, signing him away from a Texas commitment for sixth round money. Kyle DeGroat is an up arrow guy that has gotten more physical and added power across his arsenal, now looking like a legitimate starting pitching prospect. The fastball sits in the low 90's and touches 95 at peak, with running and riding action to carry it past barrels. He snaps off a tight slider with late bite that could become an above average pitch in time as he refines it further. DeGroat adds in a changeup, though he doesn't use it much and will need to build it up in pro ball. The 6'1" righty has a physical frame, hides the ball well, and looks the part of a big league starting pitcher. While there's no outlier trait here, DeGroat does a lot well and gives the Royals a broad array of starter traits to work with. He's got increased physicality, he gets good movement on his fastball, and has shown increasing aptitude for offspeed while throwing strikes.

18-527: OF Corey Cousin, Slidell HS [LA] {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $347,500 ($197,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
The Royals made one last big splash by signing Corey Cousin to the same sixth round signing bonus at Kyle DeGroat, one of the few position players in this class for Kansas City. Previously committed to Oklahoma much like current superstar Bobby Witt, he brings big time upside not often found this late in the draft. Cousins is a strong athlete oozing with tools, showing good power from a whippy right handed swing that could grow into above average or plus as he fills out his 6' frame. He makes plenty of contact for now, and could really grow into a complete hitter, though his track record against top competition is more limited. He's also a plus runner with the chance to man center field for the Royals, and his fastball has been up to 91 on the mound. Cousin won't pitch for the Royals, but quitting pitching and focusing on hitting could push his overall game forward quicker than others. The New Orleans-area product is also very young for the class, not turning 18 until more than two months after the draft, so he really is an intriguing ball of clay for the Royals to mold. Cousin has a long way to go and is far from a guarantee to reach Kauffman Stadium, but he could impact the game in a lot of ways if things do click.

2024 MLB Draft: Ten options for the Nationals at pick #10

A year ago, the Nationals took picked second overall and took LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, who in my opinion was the very best player available on draft day. In fact, he's the most impressive hitter I have ever seen at the college level, standing up to such names as Spencer Torkelson, Austin Martin, Andrew Vaughn, Wyatt Langford, and Adley Rutschman. In 2024, the Nationals actually won the draft lottery and the opportunity to pick first overall, but because they picked inside the lottery last year and are a revenue sharing team, they got bumped down to #10.

Mike Rizzo used to have a type. In the past, he leaned heavily on established college starting pitchers like Cade Cavalli, Erick Fedde, and Dane Dunning and buy-low options coming off injuries or other issues like Seth Romero, Mason Denaburg, and Lucas Giolito. Lately, he has pivoted towards prep bats early and took Brady House and Elijah Green in back to back first rounds in 2021 and 2022. Now, with a relatively imbalanced farm system brimming with top-end bats (especially outfield bats) but nearly completely devoid of pitching, it's hard to peg what direction he'll go. If the draft were to be held today, there would be three names Nationals fans could comfortably write off: West Virginia second baseman JJ Wetherholt, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, and Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz. They are more or less the consensus top three players in the draft and are not in a position to make it to #10.

So who does that leave open for the Nationals? Even with those big three bats more or less out of the question unless the underperform this spring, it's still a class chock full of bats, specifically college bats in this range. Would the Nationals want to further add to a position of strength, or try to fill out the bone-dry pitching pipeline? My answer of course is that you never draft for need, and should always draft the best player available, but we'll see what Rizzo chooses to do. There are also a few college arms that look to make sense in that range and you know Rizzo would love to get his hands on one, while a couple of prep bats also figure to hang around that range if we want to go back to that well. Here are ten options, along with their rank on my recent top 40.

1B/LHP Jac Caglianone, Florida. My rank: #4.
If I were in charge, this is the name I'd have circled. For now, I'm fully on board the Jac Caglianone train should he be available at pick #10, which he very well may be. Caglianone is a two-way player with ridiculous physical ability on both sides of the ball, and once he drops one to focus on the other, he could become a monster (if you don't already consider him one). Standing 6'5", 245 pounds with long arms and legs, he is ridiculously strong and creates as much leverage as anybody. That plays into plus-plus power which helped him set the single season BBCOR-era (since 2011) home run record with 33 bombs in just 71 games, good for a .738 slugging percentage. He can wallop towering moonshots to the pull side or easily clear the left field fence for backside home runs. At the same time, he is one of the most aggressive hitters in college baseball and freely chases, and that attribute may be the key in getting the first nine teams to pass on him. Still, even with the free swinging mentality, he runs solid contact rates and SEC pitchers simply could not get him out last year (.299/.370/.684 in SEC play, chock full of pro-caliber pitching). Should he clean up his approach even just a little, he'd really round out what's looking to be a fearsome future middle of the lineup in DC. However, his future may very well be on the mound, and heaven knows the Nationals need that. The fastball sits in the mid 90's and can touch triple digits with run, further showcasing his freakish physical ability. His slider and changeup are more average to above average pitches rather than plus, but if he gives up hitting to focus on pitching, you can see them taking a step forward. For now, the biggest issue on the mound is his inconsistency in repeating his delivery, as he sometimes looks like he's still growing into his ultra lanky frame. That gives him below average command and creates some reliever risk. Fellow Gator AJ Puk comes to mind as a comp, though Puk had a better breaking ball at this stage.

OF Charlie Condon, Georgia. My rank: #7.
The Nationals have some serious bats coming up through the pipeline, but most of them are right handed beyond James Wood and Daylen Lile. Like Jac Caglianone, Charlie Condon would give them some serious left handed thunder to balance that out. Despite sitting out his 2022 freshman season at Georgia, Condon exploded onto the scene with a massive 2023 in which he slashed .386/.484/.800 with 25 home runs in 56 games. He's a hulking presence in the box at 6'6" with man strength, deploying that size into plus-plus raw power that he taps consistently in games without over-swinging. A pretty patient hitter, his approach has played up against high level competition as he demolished SEC pitching last year (.339/.436/.804, 16 HR in 30 games) and struck out just 8% of the time on the Cape over the summer. Still, he does show some swing and miss, especially against quality offspeed stuff, so he'll look to even that out a bit in 2024. If the Nationals were to draft him, they'd have to really believe in his bat, as he'd likely end up a first baseman in this system. He's a fringy runner who plays a reasonably solid corner outfield, but the Nationals have so many outfielders that it's hard to see him beating out guys like Wood, Dylan Crews, Elijah Green, and Robert Hassell from a defensive perspective. I think the bat will profile just fine at first base and he could anchor Nationals lineups for years to come.

RHP Chase Burns, Wake Forest. My rank: #9.
Right now, Chase Burns is looking like the best pitcher available in the draft so there's a very good chance he's gone well before the Nationals pick at #10. However, pitchers are fickle and you never know, and we do know Mike Rizzo would love to balance out the system a bit with a legitimate future ace like Burns. A famous prospect coming out of high school in the Nashville area, he made it to campus at Tennessee and shined for two years before transferring to Wake Forest this year. In high school, he was primarily known for his arm strength and electric stuff, but he has smoothed out his delivery and is looking more and more like a starting pitcher. The stuff is as explosive as ever. His fastball sits in the mid to upper 90's and hit 101 in a pre-spring tuneup for the Demon Deacons, and it shows nice carrying life to boot. However, the triple digit fastball is only his second best pitch. Burns rips off a plus-plus slider around 90 with hard, nasty bite that could strike out major league hitters right now. Now at Wake Forest under the tutelage of renowned pitching coach Corey Muscara, his next step is to continue incorporating his curveball and changeup more into the arsenal, and that's certainly something Rizzo would like to see. While he's still control over command, Burns has been in the zone more and more and projects to stick as a starting pitcher. If the command and changeup can each tick up a half grade or so, he could be a frontline guy.

OF Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep HS [MS]. My rank #10.
Sure, the Nationals' system is chock full of young outfield prospects. But Konnor Griffin bears so much resemblance to the guys Mike Rizzo has targeted in the past that it's hard to rule him out here. Griffin is by many accounts the top prospect in a down year for high schoolers, on my list clocking in one spot ahead of second place PJ Morlando, who didn't crack this article but would certainly make sense. Griffin was originally a member of the 2025 class, but he would have turned 19 in the middle of his senior season and reclassified to 2024, where he is now age-appropriate. If nothing else, this kid is tooled up. He brings premium physicality and athleticism in an ideal 6'4" frame. That translates into big bat speed and potential plus power from the right side, which he taps consistently against good pitching. He has a long track record of performance despite the reclassification, with plenty of experience against higher level arms. The Mississippi native didn't quite dominate the way some scouts hoped last summer, but he's 17 years old and that's just about the only "hole" in his profile. Griffin's athleticism translates to the field, where his plus speed, plus arm, and shortstop background could make him an above average or better defender in center field. This could represent a less extreme version of Elijah Green if the Nats stick him into their system.

LHP Hagen Smith, Arkansas. My rank: #12.
Hagen Smith isn't quite the prototypical arm that Mike Rizzo likes to target early in the draft, but if Chase Burns is off the board at this point and he still wants to add pitching, it's hard to ignore the loud package Smith brings to the table. Like Burns, he was a very well-known prospect as an East Texas prep in 2021 but made it to campus at Arkansas, where he has continued to elevate his game. Smith's fastball has crept up steadily during his time in Fayetteville. It hovered around 90 and topped out at 95 in high school, but he was consistently in the low 90's early in his college career, reached the upper 90's in short stints as a sophomore, then reportedly touched triple digits in fall practice at the outset of his junior year. It's a running fastball from a lower slot, making it difficult to square up and lift. His slider gives him a second easy plus pitch with late, deep break to seemingly fall off the table and confound hitters. He's added a cutter to play off his fastball, which he is still working on, while his splitter has flashed considerable promise even if it's not the most consistent pitch just yet. Like Burns, Smith has smoothed out his delivery at Arkansas and that, combined with strength gains on his projectable 6'3" frame, has helped him unlock more than a few ticks of velocity. The next step will be command, as he still gets disjointed at times and loses feel for his release point, leading to below average command. Because of that, and because he's bigger and stronger, Burns probably has the better shot to stick in a big league rotation, but Smith is the better athlete and I see him continuing to rocket up prospect lists as he develops. He's also extremely young for a college junior, not turning 21 until a month after the draft, giving him extra time to figure it out. The fastball/slider combination is absolutely electric and I believe he will continue to improve.

RHP Brody Brecht, Iowa. My rank: #14.
Rounding out the big three power arms, all showing electric fastball/slider combinations, is Brody Brecht, the best athlete of the bunch. Like Burns and Smith, he was also a well-known prospect as a prep in the Des Moines area who made it to campus at Iowa, but it wasn't just baseball pulling him to Iowa City. Brecht was also a member of the Hawkeye football team, but as his baseball career has continued to take off, he dropped the gridiron to focus on pitching. Heck, if I could throw as hard as he could, I would too. Brecht sits upper 90's and regularly pops into triple digits, giving him as far as I know the hardest fastball in college baseball. The pitch lacks typical run and ride, rather coming in with some cutting action instead. The velocity is more impressive than the shape, but at 100, you don't need explosive ride. As with Burns and Smith, he rips off a nasty slider that parks around 90 or above with hard, late, two-plane bite. It's a plus-plus pitch. Also like Burns and Smith, Brecht is still working on his curveball and changeup, which aren't quite as loud but still show promise. And like Smith, Brecht has struggled a bit with command. If the Nationals are going to take the risk here, they're going to have to be comfortable with converting his incredible athleticism into more repeatable mechanics without sacrificing the electric stuff. And if Brecht can take a step forward in that regard this spring, he may not be around for the Nationals to pick at #10.

3B Tommy White, Louisiana State. My rank: #15.
Why not make it two years in a row drawing from that elite LSU lineup? It wasn't just Dylan Crews swinging his way to a National Championship by himself, as Tommy White served as his chief protection in the lineup. Crews hit a ridiculous .426/.567/.713, but White wasn't far behind at .374/.432/.725 and both out-slugged him and out-homered him (24 to 18). White is a special hitter, to say the least. He has downright ridiculous hands that enable him to effortlessly fling the barrel through the zone at a high speed, producing plus-plus raw power that has helped him slam 51 home runs in just 121 games in college, good for a career .740 slugging percentage. White can get to the ball anywhere in the zone, even outside of it, and do damage to all fields. He may actually have plus bat to ball skills in addition to his plus-plus power, something you rarely ever see. That said, his main flaw in the box is his approach, as he's extraordinarily aggressive and pro pitchers will take advantage of that. If the Nationals buy the bat at #10, they'll be buying into his extraordinary natural talent in the box while hoping they can coach him to a more selective approach. To foot stomp the importance of doing so, White is a well below average athlete that is unlikely to stick at third base, instead looking at a likely career at first base or DH. If he joins the Nationals' system, he'll be rejoining not only Crews but Elijah Green, whom he teamed with at IMG Academy in Florida.

RHP Levi Sterling, Notre Dame HS [CA]. My rank: #17.
The Nationals haven't selected a prep pitcher in the first round since Mason Denaburg in 2018, though to be fair, Travis Sykora received back of the first round money in the third round in 2023. Levi Sterling isn't quite there yet in terms of pitching his way to the Nationals at #10, but I think he has every opportunity to do so. Hailing from the same Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles that produced Hunter Greene, Giancarlo Stanton, and many others, Sterling only sits around 90 with his fastball and tops out at 94, very modest by today's standards. His secondary arsenal is made up of a sweeping, slurvy curveball around 80, a tighter cutter, and an above average splitter. There's no true out pitches here, but Sterling is extremely projectable at 6'4" and won't turn 18 until after the draft, making him very young for the class. With a free and easy delivery and a virtual guarantee to add significant physicality over the next few years, he should add velocity quickly. Sterling also shows above average command of both his fastball and his offspeed stuff, putting him in uncommon territory for a high school pitcher. If Sterling shows even a modest bump in velocity this spring while holding his command and staying healthy, he could tempt Rizzo with the tenth overall pick.

LHP Jonathan Santucci, Duke. My rank: #25.
If the draft were today, I don't think Jonathan Santucci would be under consideration. But after missing the final two months of the season in 2023 with elbow problems, a healthy 2024 could easily propel him into the Nationals' sights. Health aside, the profile belongs in the middle of the first round. He sits in the low 90's and tops out around 96 with his fastball, playing up with plenty of riding life. His slider looks like a true plus pitch when he locates it, while his changeup has continued to step forward and looks like it could become a weapon. Santucci's whole arsenal should gain more consistency as he gets more consistent innings, and with a sturdy 6'2" frame and clean, natural actions on the mound, he should be able to stay healthy enough to do so. I could certainly see him pushing himself into the upper tier of college starting pitchers this spring with a healthy spring where he shows three above average to plus pitches with solid command from the left side. And if he does that, Mike Rizzo will be interested.

LHP Josh Hartle, Wake Forest. My rank: #27.
We'll round out our list with one more college arm. Josh Hartle ranks near the back of the first round on my board but by most accounts fits somewhere in the middle of the first round, meaning he won't have to do much extra to earn consideration at pick #10. Like many names on this list, he was a famous prep in the class of 2021 but pulled himself out of the draft because he was set on attending Wake Forest just across town from where he grew up in the Winston-Salem area. Hartle's polish was immediately evident as he made 14 starts as a true freshman, then he took a big step forward as a sophomore where he was quietly one of the best pitchers in college baseball. The polish will certainly have Rizzo interested. It's a below average fastball sitting in the low 90's and topping at 94 with sinking life, while his two-plane, slurvy curveball gets swings and misses and his changeup looks solid. Everything plays way up though because he shows plus command with both his fastball and his offspeed stuff, missing far more bats than you'd expect (33.4% K rate in 2023) and setting him up well to handle more disciplined pro hitters. Really, it's a very similar profile to Levi Sterling if you flip the handedness, with Hartle having the advantage of an excellent 2023 in the ACC and Sterling having the advantage of being three and a half years younger. Like Sterling, it may only take a small bump up in velocity for Hartle to earn the selection to the Nationals at pick #10.

2024 MLB Draft: Ten candidates to go first overall

The 2024 draft season is upon us, and the 76-86 Cleveland Guardians own the first overall pick. Thanks to the draft lottery, with a .469 winning percentage last year, they'll be the best team ever to pick first overall by that measure. For that reason it's a great time to be a Guardians fan, as the team will have a slew of elite bats available to them in a class heavily favoring college hitters. As it turns out, the 71-91 Nationals actually won the lottery, but were ineligible to claim the first overall pick because they picked second last year. At this point, three position players seem to have separated themselves at the top of the draft in Oregon State's Travis Bazzana, West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt, and Wake Forest's Nick Kurtz. Of course, lots will change between now and July, and the gap between those three and the rest of the class is fairly slim as is. Overall, though, the top of the class is chock full of college bats, including the top six players on my current draft rankings (including one two-way player). The top of the high school class is a bit light for now, but that will also likely change between now and July.

The Guardians have shown a very clear draft strategy for a while now, especially in their position players. When it comes to position players, they love three things – youth, a polished hit tool, and the ability to stick up the middle. Fortunately for them, in this year's class, there are a ton of bats that fit those qualifications. Let's break down ten early candidates heading into the season.

2B Travis Bazzana, Oregon State. My rank: #1.
Travis Bazzana isn't quite as young as the Guardians typically like, set to turn 22 before the end of his first pro season this upcoming summer, but I would take a long, long look at him if I were them. The Australian slugger broke out in 2023 by slashing .374/.500/.622 with eleven home runs as a sophomore at Oregon State, then continued his white hot hitting against elite pitching on the Cape with a .382/.474/.576 line over 36 games. An extraordinarily disciplined hitter, he walked more than he struck out both at Oregon State and on the Cape, the latter of which is exceedingly uncommon for a slugger. Beyond his trained eye at the plate, he has strong bat to ball ability and his compact strength in his 6' frame gives him at least above average power, likely plus to the pull side. It's an extremely complete offensive profile with the potential for 20+ home runs annually alongside on-base percentages approaching .400. Beyond the bat, he's a plus runner who stole 52 bases in 59 attempts (88% success) in 97 games combined between OSU and the Cape this year. Defensively, he fits Cleveland's up the middle preference with bouncy, athletic actions on the dirt that will make him a strong defender at second base. There's some potential at shortstop, though his average arm is a touch light for the position.
What he needs to do: Keep hitting, plain and simple. Bazzana already ranks first on my list, albeit by a slim margin. His speed and defense give him a leg up on some of the other early 1-1 candidates, so continuing to hit at a high level gives him every chance to hear his name first.

2B JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia. My rank: #2.
JJ Wetherholt brings a very similar profile to Travis Bazzana. He's coming off an absurd sophomore season in which he hit .449/.517/.787 with 16 home runs for West Virginia, then raked both with the US Collegiate National Team (.263/.481/.579) and on the Cape (.321/.406/.571). Similar to Bazzana, he's on the older side and will turn 22 right around the end of his first pro season, but also like Bazzana, the bat is so loud that he'll be hard to ignore. Personally, I set Bazzana slightly ahead because he's a bit more explosive as an athlete and a bit more disciplined at the plate, but Wetherholt is every bit the ballplayer that Bazzana is. The pure bat to ball here is absolutely elite, some of the best not just in this class but in the past several classes. In fact, he struck out just once in 32 plate appearances against elite pitching on the Cape, and this is despite running moderately high chase rates. Wetherholt can simply get the fat part of the bat on the ball no matter where it's pitched. While he's not physically imposing at 5'11", that elite feel for the barrel helps his average raw power play way up in games with a barrage of extra base hits and the ability to sneak the ball out to all fields. An above average runner, the Pittsburgh-area product has strong instincts on the bases to help the speed play as plus in terms of its ability to impact games. The speed gives him nice range at second base, though he doesn't quite have the arm or explosive athleticism required to play shortstop in pro ball.
What he needs to do: For me, Bazzana has a slight, slight leg up at this point due to his patience and explosiveness. However, Wetherholt did have a better season statistically than Bazzana did last year and if both repeat their 2023 numbers, it would be hard to bet against Wetherholt. Dropping his chase rate just a touch while proving his defense at second base would likely make him the favorite to go 1-1.

1B Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest. My rank: #3.
Nick Kurtz doesn't exactly fit the Guardians' archetype as a power hitting first baseman, and if the draft were today, I think Cleveland would be choosing between JJ Wetherholt and Travis Bazzana. However, Kurtz brings the most potent bat in the entire class, bar none, and any minor steps back from Wetherholt or Bazzana could push Kurtz straight to the top of the pack. He's coming off a monster sophomore season in which he slashed .353/.527/.784 with 24 home runs, and that .527 on-base percentage was the tops among all underclassmen nationwide, just ahead of second place Wetherholt (.517). In Kurtz, we're talking massive power. Standing 6'5" and weighing in at 235 pounds, he uses that big frame to generate effortless power from the left side, just dropping his hands to the ball, whipping the bat through the zone, and sending it out to parking lots in all directions. Not just a slugger, Kurtz pairs that plus-plus raw power with an extremely polished hit tool. He rarely chases and draws a ton of walks, and when pitchers come in the zone, his swing is plenty adjustable to be able to reach balls in all quadrants and do damage.  You really have to execute your game plan to perfection, then find some luck on top of that, to get him out. Pitchers did so less than half the time last year. The vast majority of Kurtz's value is tied to his bat, but the Lancaster, Pennsylvania native is more agile than you'd think for a kid that big and plays a very fine first base. Overall, he could become a 40 home run bat with high on-base percentages at peak, giving the Guardians a brand new Jim Thome.
What he needs to do: I don't think there's much he can do necessarily. Kurtz is already the best hitter in the draft, and there's a good chance he still is come July. Many teams, especially the Guardians, will look for any excuse to avoid a first baseman at the top of the draft, so his best hope is likely if Bazzana and Wetherholt fail to take the next step forward in 2024. This is absolutely not a criticism of Kurtz, but more the reality of how the Guardians and other teams view players this far down the defensive spectrum.

1B/LHP Jac Caglianone, Florida. My rank: #4.
This is the most fun profile at the top of the draft. It's natural to think of Shohei Ohtani when evaluating two-way players, but I really think that comp carries some weight here. Listed at 6'5", 245 pounds, Jac Caglianone is an absolute beast of a man with the ability to channel his immense size and strength into impact on both sides of the ball. He slashed .323/.389/.738 as a sophomore while setting the single season BBCOR era (since 2011) home run record at 33, carrying Florida to the College World Series Finals against LSU. The raw power here is frankly unbelievable. Caglianone has long, strong arms and legs and unleashes them for absolutely towering home runs at an extraordinarily high frequency – he homered more than once every ten plate appearances in 2023. His hand-eye coordination is also extremely impressive for such a tall, young kid. At this point, his approach is extremely raw and will need to be refined in pro ball. The Tampa native employs a heavy pull-oriented approach, allowing him to wallop baseballs into parking lots in right field, and his strength also enables his mishits to go land beyond the left field fence. He's also extremely aggressive, walking at just a 5.3% clip last year and running a slightly elevated 18.2% strikeout rate. He'll have to clean that up if he wants to handle pro pitching, as he's limited to first base with below average speed and the pressure will be on his bat. "CagliOhtani" is equally impressive on the mound, having posted a 4.34 ERA and an 87/55 strikeout to walk ratio over 74.2 innings this past season. The lefty can run his fastball into triple digits with some run and ride, holding mid 90's velocity deep into his starts. His power slider gets into the upper 80's and he can morph it into a bit of a cutter, while his changeup gets nice fade to round out a four pitch mix. At this point, he struggles to repeat his crossfire delivery and that led to a 16% walk rate. Caglianone was very inconsistent in 2023, his first year pitching at the collegiate level, and has not shown the ability to hit spots with any repeatability. Overall, we're talking about the highest upside in the entire draft, upside which will come into focus once he focuses on one or the other.
What he needs to do: For Caglianone, it's pretty clear. As a hitter, he'll need to clean up his approach, plain and simple. That means using the whole field with intention and laying off breaking balls out of the zone. On the mound, he'll need to show a cleaner delivery and take a step forward with one of his secondary pitches. If he can finish that to-do list on one side of the ball or the other, I'd give him a long look at 1-1.

SS Seaver King, Wake Forest. My rank: #5.
Seaver King fits the Guardians' profile to a tee. He spent the last two years at Division II Wingate, but mashed to the tune of a .408/.453/.695 line with eleven home runs in 2023 and it became clear he did not belong at the level. Challenged with a stint in the Cape Cod League, representing a massive jump in competition for him, he passed with flying colors by slashing .424/.479/.542 in 16 games, thrusting himself into the first round picture just like that. This profile is driven by bat to ball. King has elite hand-eye coordination, covering the entire plate exceptionally well to the point where he almost never swings through a hittable pitch. Even after jumping from DII to Cape Cod League pitching, he ran just a 12.9% strikeout rate at the latter. At present, he's a very aggressive hitter that makes plenty of contact on balls out of the zone as well, so he rarely walks, though in the small sample his walk rate jumped from 7.3% at Wingate to 10% on the Cape. It will be very interesting to see how King's approach develops at Wake Forest, where he'll face stronger pitching with better scouting reports and won't be able to get away with chasing as often as he does. The Athens, Georgia native is not overly physical at a listed 6', 190 pounds, but he shows a very quick bat from the right side and shows some sneaky power, especially to the pull side. His present approach, which seems unlikely to change, is more geared towards lashing hard line drives to all fields so he likely tops out around 15-20 home runs per season. Beyond the bat, King is a plus runner with nice range on the infield, and with an arm a tick better than that of Travis Bazzana and JJ Wetherholt, he has a better shot to play shortstop at the big league level.
What he needs to do: King is transferring up from Division II to the ACC. He'll need to control the strike zone a little bit better against better stuff, and an uptick to fringe average or average power would be nice as well. If he can continue hitting like he did on the Cape, getting on base at a high clip while showing some power, it will be hard for Cleveland to pass up a potential high average, speedy shortstop.

OF Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina. My rank: #6.
So far, every player on this list is coming off a monster season, but Vance Honeycutt isn't quite in the same boat. He took the ACC by storm with a strong freshman season in 2022, but regressed to slash just .257/.418/.492 with 12 home runs as a sophomore in 2023. However, he has as much upside as any player in this class and could easily swing his way to the first overall selection if everything comes together. Ideally built with an athletic, projectable 6'3" frame, he's plenty strong already and figures to get even stronger as he fills out. Honeycutt employs a lightning quick right handed swing and shows the ability to elevate with authority, helping him project for plus power in pro ball. He also employs a very selective approach and forces pitchers to come to him, though his pure feel for the barrel leaves some to desired and represents the biggest hole in his game. The North Carolina native really shored up his approach in 2023 but didn't hit for nearly as much impact, watching his slugging percentage drop from .672 to .492. A plus runner, he is a fearless defender in center field who made numerous highlight reel catches at the wall last year. Between his speed, his polish in the grass, and his plus arm, he has a shot to contend for Gold Gloves in center field.
What he needs to do: The road for Honeycutt is clear. He needs to find a way to make more contact in the zone while maintaining his power, which can be a tricky task. If he can do that, though, he has All Star upside as a Gold Glove center fielder who hits for power and steals bases at a high clip.

RHP Chase Burns, Wake Forest. My rank: #7.
At this point last year, Chase Dollander was the consensus top pitching prospect in the country. This year, no single pitcher has separated himself from the pack, and there is a group of three to four college arms that all find themselves more or less in the same tier. Chase Burns has the slightest of edges in that group right now, and I also think he's the most likely to both earn his way to the top and also fit in with Cleveland's plans. Burns was a big name prospect coming out of the Nashville area in 2021, but made it to campus at Tennessee and made an immediate impact, putting up a 3.54 ERA and a 217/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 152.1 innings during his two seasons in Knoxville. Transferring across the Smokies to Wake Forest, he could take another step forward in the program's famous pitching lab that has given us first rounders Rhett Lowder, Jared Shuster, and Ryan Cusick among many other success stories. While Burns is power over polish, he's steadily improving in the latter department and would fit well in Cleveland. The fastball sits in the mid to upper 90's and regularly reaches triple digits, enough to blow hitters away even when he doesn't locate it precisely. The real story here is an absolute banger of a slider, which peaks its head into the low 90's with nasty late bite to make hitters look just straight up silly. Mostly just a fastball/slider guy for now, he's beginning to incorporate his curveball and changeup into his arsenal more and I expect those to take a larger role now in the Wake system. The 6'4" righty smoothed out his delivery nicely at Tennessee since looking a bit relieverish as a high schooler, and the result has been a consistent barrage of strikes. He's a bit lacking when it comes to in-zone command, but when your fastball touches triple digits and your slider sits around 90, just getting it in the zone is often good enough. Anybody who throws as hard as he does is always an injury question mark, though he otherwise appears durable.
What he needs to do: The fastball and slider are there. Now, he needs to show he can effectively work deeper into his arsenal by incorporating that curveball and changeup. Burns also needs to fine tune his command a bit to land in Cleveland, as pounding the strike zone like he does will be enough to get him to the big leagues but better in-zone command will make him an ace.

LHP Hagen Smith, Arkansas. My rank: #9.
Hagen Smith, like Chase Burns, was a well-known prep coming out of the East Texas high school ranks in 2021 and made it to campus in the SEC, and now he joins Burns in that top tier of arms in 2024. While he hasn't quite put it all together yet, he has turned in two very solid seasons in the Razorbacks rotation and brings some of the loudest upside in the class to 2024. The fastball has been steadily ticking up for a while now, typically parking in the low to mid 90's last spring and reportedly reaching triple digits in the fall. He's still learning to harness his slider, but his best ones have late, nasty, two-plane bite that makes it easy to project as a plus pitch. Similarly, Smith's splitter is a bit less consistent than his slider, but it too shows above average upside. The 6'3" lefty comes from a lower slot with an unconventional delivery, providing some deception and giving his fastball tough plane to go with some run and ride. That delivery, which features heavy drop and drive and somewhat of a stabby arm action, has led to below average command to this point. Given the fact that he has made 26 starts and thrown 149 innings over his first two years in Fayetteville while showing a solid 4.17 ERA and a 199/88 strikeout to walk ratio, it hasn't held him back yet, and he has every opportunity to make further progress as he settles into his draft year. If he can fine tune his command closer to average, he has real ace upside with three potential above average to plus pitches. The fact that he won't turn 21 until the end of his first pro season will also certainly look good in the Guardians' age-friendly draft model.
What he needs to do: Smith is already touching triple digits while showing off a banger slider, and he's proven he can hold his stuff deep into starts and over a long season. At this point, only his command is holding him back from ascending to the top of the draft. Cut that 13.5% walk rate down to around 7-8% and he'll be in business.

OF Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep HS [MS]. My rank: #10.
The Guardians love preps, especially prep bats, but none have separated themselves into the elite tier quite yet. As it stands, Konnor Griffin is the closest. Formerly a member of the 2025 class, he was extremely old for a high school junior so he reclassified to the 2024 class so he could compete with peers his age. Standing 6'4", 205 pounds, he's already built like a grown man and has the ideal frame to tack on significant additional strength. He generates huge bat speed from the right side to produce above average power at present, and it will almost certainly grow into plus as he matures. His hit tool is a bit less consistent, as the swing can get long at times, but he takes good at bats and he has been making more and more contact as he's settled in against strong competition on the showcase circuit. Meanwhile, Griffin is an athletic beast with plus speed and a plus arm that play well in the outfield, giving him a shot to be an above average center fielder down the line. There are some similarities Benny Montgomery and Zac Veen here, though he's more polished than the former and quicker and more athletic (and more right handed) than the latter. Between his youth, projection, and ability to stick up the middle, Griffin checks a lot of boxes the Guardians look for, though they do prefer hit-over-power to power-over-hit.
What he needs to do: The only thing Griffin is missing in his profile is a consistent hit tool, so if he can come out showing less in-zone swing and miss while continuing to tap his power in games, he should absolutely be in contention for the first overall pick.

SS Caleb Bonemer, Okemos HS [MI]. My rank: #15.
I'll slip Caleb Bonemer in as the dark horse candidate. Generally considered more of a mid to back of the first round talent at this point, Bonemer likely wouldn't be under consideration for Cleveland if the draft was today, but he has a chance to hit his way there this spring a la Jackson Holliday. In fact, Bonemer is already trending hard in the right direction. Not widely known to national audiences at this time last year, he was one of the top performers on the summer showcase circuit, especially later on once he got settled in. Not huge at six feet tall, he can whip the barrel through the zone with the best of them for above average power and he should grow into plus power as he fills out. The Lansing-area native also makes plenty of contact in the zone, especially for a cold weather bat, though there are holes in his approach that were exposed a bit by advanced pitching. Still, he's getting better and better in that regard and it's the belief of most scouts that he just needs more exposure. Meanwhile, the Guardians will love his potential to stick up the middle. He's a plus runner with the athleticism and arm strength to stick at shortstop, though if he slows down at all he may be forced to third base, especially in a Cleveland system that always seems to be flush with shortstops. The upside here is that of a 25 home run, moderate on-base bat that can stick at shortstop and swipe a few bags in the process.
What he needs to do: Bonemer is farther away from the 1-1 slot than the other nine names on this list. He won't face extremely high level competition in central Michigan, but if he continues to grow into his power while controlling the strike zone a bit better, Jackson Holliday provides a nice blueprint for his ascent. Holliday was a more advanced hitter at this stage, but Bonemer is more physical and both play off the beaten path a little (Holliday played in Stillwater, Oklahoma).

Other options
RHP Brody Brecht, Iowa (#8)
OF Mike Sirota, Northeastern (#11)
OF Charlie Condon, Georgia (#12)
OF Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M (#14)
OF Slade Caldwell, Valley View HS [AR] (#17)